Family Conquers All
by Ilanea
Summary: Voldemort was defeated. But not by Harry alone. His younger sister was present the day the Dark Lord was defeated and she too carries the burden of ending his reign..
1. Chapter 1: The End of the Beginning

Lily awoke with a terrible headache. She sat upright and looked around, but instead of seeing the familiar interior of the home she shared with her husband at Godrick's Hollow, she was in the house she used to visit when she was a child… the house at Spinner's End! She raced out of the house as quickly and quietly as possible, in fear of wakening the other occupant; As soon as she was out of the neighborhood, she apparated home.

Four Months Later

"James dear, have a seat." Lily said obviously anxious.

"What is it Lil?" James asked as he sat in the armchair by the fire, concern laced in his voice.

"Well, I, Um…" She stuttered, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Lil, what's the matter?" he asked as he took her hand, a frown hovering on his face.

"James," she paused. "I'm pregnant."

His face turned to an expression of shocked surprise, and delight. "Is, err, is that possible?" he sputtered out, eyes round. "I mean, we just had Harry five months ago."

"James dear, _I_had Harry five months ago, and yes, it is possible."

"I have to fire-call Padfoot and Moony… and Wormtail!" he was saying, already half-way across the room.

Lily smiled sadly. He looked so happy; she hoped he didn't suspect…

Thirty-first of October, Ten Months Later

James and Lily stood gazing over their two young children, within a small white bassinet. The boy, Harry, was already a year old, and looking very much like his father, except his eyes, which were a dazzling green, like his mother's. The little girl in the bassinet, Vanessa, born a month early, was now more than two months old and had the same eyes as her brother and mother, but had slightly different features, like high cheekbones, and a slightly pointed chin, which were nothing like either parent above her. Her black hair was strait; not at all like her brother's or father's, which grew messy, all about their heads.

As James and Lily stood by their precious children, a loud sound emanated from down the stairs. James ran down, and shouted up to his wife, "He's here! Take the children and run, I'll hold him off."

"Avada Kedavra!" shouted a hiss-like voice.

"James! No!" Lily screamed in terror, as the bald intruder ascended up the stairs.

She ran back into her baby's room, and was about to take the children out of the crib to apparate them to safety, when the man came from behind and shoved her to the floor.

"Out of my way girl." He said, but the command had the opposite effect. She got quickly up to her feet and stood between the attacker and her children, her face soaked with tears.

"Not my babies. Please! Not my babies!"

"Stand aside and I'll let you and the girl live." He said, though his eyes showed no compassion.

"Have mercy!" Lily pleaded.

"Avada Kedavra!" He snarled cruelly, and the young mother fell lifeless, to the floor. The man walked over to the crib where the babies where now crying. "So close together." He said, his voice chilling, like sleek ice. "It is so simple to kill two birds with one curse!" He laughed in mirth, and pointed his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"

But the young orphaned children kept crying… and the man was there no more.


	2. Chapter 2: A New House Guest

"Harry! Harry! HARRY!" Vanessa ran right into her brother.

"Hey! Slow down Nessie!" Harry said, a smile playing on his face.

"It came! It came! It came!" She squealed.

"What came? What came? What came?" He asked, mocking her repetition.

"My Hogwarts letter." She stated. "You got your first one last year, and I've just got mine." She said as she handed him a letter addressed to him in green ink. "Here's yours." Harry smiled. Vanessa had been looking forward to getting her letter ever since he was been able to read his. He flashed back to the year before, when he was boarding the train.

"But I want to go with you Harry!" She had Pleaded with her ten-year-old puppy-dog eyes.

"You can't Nessie." He had said consolingly as he hugged her goodbye. "But it's only one year until you can though, alright?" She had nodded sadly as she was dragged back to the car by aunt Petunia.

When his mind came back to the present, his little sister was still rambling on about what it would be like at Hogwarts.

"Oh, it's not that great." He said, feigning boredom. "The only thing that's interesting is the giant squid in the lake, but school's school, right?" Delight and anguish displayed plainly on his overly dramatic sister's face.

"Oh! Don't tease me Harry!"

"What's life without teasing you?" Harry said, and as she laughed his smile broadened.

All joy was then dispelled as their uncle came through the door.

"Petunia dear! Dudley my boy!"he called, and when he caught sight of his niece and nephew, standing in the hallway, he said, "You two as well. Come on." and at the command, they followed him into the family room, as their aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley came in from the kitchen. Dudley was cramming Chocolate fudge into his mouth in a way that made the siblings want to expel their breakfasts.

"Petunia, I might have mentioned that my boss is coming for dinner tonight."

"Yes Vernon, you've mentioned it several times this week." Petunia said.

"Yes, yes, today's the day, tonight's the night." He said with obvious joy in his voice. he grew serious as he pointed to his niece and nephew who were sharing an arm chair, since Dudley took up half the Sofa. "and you two had better be on your _best_ behavior." He said in his usual 'Or Else' voice.

As everyone dispersed, Vanessa leaned over to Harry. "Happy Birthday Harry." She said as she handed him a piece of paper with a drawing of him, a birthday cake, and balloons. A picture of what a birthday _should_ look like

* * *

><p>Later that night, a few minutes before the couple were to arrive, uncle Vernon had everyone in the living room rehearsing; everybody in their best clothes... everybody except Harry and Vanessa, who of course, didn't have nice clothes.<p>

"Alright, when they ring the doorbell... Dudley?"

Dudley, uncomfortable in his itchy suit and tie, replied, "I will open the door, and say 'How do you do maim? May I take your coat sir?"

"Oh, my Dudykins." Aunt Petunia said adoringly. "You look so smart in your little suit. They'll just love him Vernon!"

"That's my boy!" Uncle Vernon said with a proud smile, as Vanessa made barfing signs, pointing her finger in her mouth, and Harry tried to keep a strait face.

"And Petunia dear?" Vernon continued, not noticing the siblings.

"I'll come in from the kitchen and say 'Welcome, would you like to come into the parlor before dinner?'"

"Lovely!" Vernon said. "And you two?" He questioned darkly, the smile fading from his face.

"We will stay upstairs," Harry started.

"Being absolutely silent," Vanessa added.

"Pretending we don't exist." They finished together.

"Exactly." Said Uncle Vernon.

Just then the doorbell rang.

"You two, upstairs!" Vernon whispered viciously to them.

Harry took the stairs two by two while Vanessa lingered long enough to hear Dudley forget his line. She snorted and went the rest of the way up the stairs. She was on her way to the attic, (which became her room the year before since the only other bedroom was the guest room that was usually reserved for Aunt Marge when she came to Surrey.) When she heard a shout coming from her brother's room.

She went in quickly and found... Something. Or... Someone? The something had long ears and bulging eyes.

"Oh, my! and this must be the Miss Potter!" The something said in a squeaky voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you... um?"

"Dobby, miss. Dobby the house elf." Dobby said.

"Nice to meet you Dobby the house elf." she said, still quite in shock. "Harry," she whispered. "whats a house elf?"

"No idea." He whispered back. "but he cried when I asked him to sit down." Neither of them really whispered any of the conversation; they where talking in a hissing language that only they could understand... them and the snake they met at the zoo last year.

As the Potters conversed like this, Dobby sat patiently waiting with a questioning look on his face.

"Dobby?" Harry asked when he and his sister had finished talking. "May I ask why you're here?"

Dobby stood and stated banging his head against the wall. "Not supposed to tell. Bad Dobby." he said.

Harry pulled him from the wall, "Please Dobby! Don't make so much noise!" He said urgently.

"You're not supposed to tell what?" Vanessa asked curiously. Before Dobby could answer, they heard Uncle Vernon coming up the stairs. Harry and Vanessa shoved Dobby into the wardrobe just as uncle Vernon came through the door.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU"RE DOING?" He whispered rather loudly. "I was just about to tell them the punchline on my joke!"

"Then we probably saved them a really big headache." Vanessa muttered.

"What was that girl?" He asked slowly and darkly.

"I just asked if it was the one where your friend fell into a lake."

"No..." he said. "but that is a good one."he muttered to last part to himself. "Well, I managed to smooth this one over by saying we left the television on. It worked this time, but I doubt it will again. SO BE QUIET!" Then he left the room.

Harry opened the wardrobe and Dobby stumbled out.

"Sorry about that Dobby." Vanessa said apologetically. "What exactly are you here for?"

"Dobby has come to warn Mister and Miss Potter not to go to Hogwarts this year."

"We have to go to Hogwarts Dobby. We don't have a life here."

"You can't go to Hogwarts miss." Dobby said solemnly .

"We can and we will." She said softly.

"Very well." Dobby said as he hung his head, then he ran out the door... strait for the kitchen.

"Dobby comeback!" Harry whispered sharply. "Please don't make any noise! You'll get us in trouble!"

Dobby hopped onto the refrigerator, right next to the fruit salad aunt Petunia had made.

"Dobby don't!" said Vanessa, horrified.

"Only if miss and mister Potter promise not to go to Hogwarts this year." He replied.

"Dobby," Vanessa started smoothly. "Come down from there and we can talk about this. Maybe you can tell us why we can't go to Hogwarts this year, then we might think about promising."

"Dobby would miss, but he knows better. Dobby has masters who are much better at lying than you." Vanessa closed her eyes, and tried to picture herself somewhere safe, then she opened them again after a deafening crash abruptly entered the safe haven she had put herself in.

Harry pushed his sister under the counter, so she wouldn't be seen by their Aunt, Uncle, and the guests who were just entering the kitchen. The kindly looking couple looked bewildered, while Vernon himself had an enraged purple colour on his face. Petunia on the other hand, was horrified as she looked down at the fruit salad covering her once pristine, polished floors, with Harry standing in the middle.

"Our.. um... Nephew." Vernon started. "He's a slight bit deranged. we usually keep him upstairs when company comes over, as he gets nervous around strangers."

Aunt Petunia was guiding the guests back into the parlor, as an owl flew though the window. The man's wife shrieked as the bird flew into her hair. When they got the bird untangled from the woman's hair, it flew away, and the man, supporting his trembling wife, told them that she was deathly afraid of all kinds of birds.

"Was all of this some kind of joke?" he asked, disgusted.

"No!" Vernon replied hastily. "No of course not! we never meant for any of this to happen Walter! Please forgive us for this outrage." Their uncle's voice faded as he followed Walter and his wife to the entryway.

"You'll clean this up!" Aunt Petunia whispered to harry, and he nodded as Vanessa noticed what it was that the owl had brought. After his aunt turned away, crawled to the letter, grabbed it, and slid back under the counter to quickly read it.

_To Mr. Potter,_

_We have received notice, that you have used underage magic in a muggle inhabited neighborhood. As this is a first offence, we are giving you a warning. The next time you use under age magic, you will be expelled from Hogwarts, and your wand will be snapped._

_Have a pleasant evening,_

_Belinda Venireman,_

_Inappropriate Use of Magic Department_

She sat shocked as she silently slid the letter to Harry, and watched his expression turn from caution, to extreme concentration as he read.

"Harry has a letter! Harry has a letter!" Dudley shouted after his father came through the doorway with a look of passionate relief.

"What?" he said, then whisked away the letter from Harry's hand and started reading.

"And Vanessa is under the counter." Dudley added, and aunt Petunia pulled her out.

"No one likes a tattle tail, you over sized slug." She said viciously, still glaring at him as aunt Petunia jerked her for saying such things about her son.

both the sibling's turned white as their uncle started laughing.

"You're not going to Hogwarts this year." He said. "You never told us you couldn't do magic, Harry. Did it slip you mind?"

"We have to go to Hogwarts." harry said with finality.

"Oh, but you're not going." Vernon said enthusiastically. "This says that if you do magic again you'll be expelled."

"You can't make us stay!" Vanessa screamed as their uncle lead them up to their rooms. "We have to go..." Her voice trailed away as he shut her attic door and locked it. She sat on the bed, a silent despair coming over her as her eyes drooped heavily and her head fell to the pillow. "We have to go..." Then sleep enveloped her.


	3. Chapter 3: Haywire Floo

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this series… well, except the new characters I've added.**

The one thing that pushed Vanessa to the point of misery was not being able to see her brother. In the passed year, when they had been given their rooms, Vanessa would squirm through the shaft on the wall of her attic, climb out onto the roof, and through her brother's window; but since uncle Vernon had installed bars on Harry's window she could only sit on the roof and see him through what seemed like prison bars.

She supposed she could pick the lock on his door, but what would be the point? Uncle Vernon would just hear the loud creak that the door makes, wake up and drag her back to the attic. Their uncle didn't think he had to install bars on her little shaft because he didn't even know that a human being could fit through it. (not that he would know, since the only people he counted as human beings were larger than Santa Claus!) Besides, who would've thought that a shaft could be an escape route?

Whenever it was meal time, her aunt Petunia would slide a bool of soup through the door, and tonight the soup looked just as inedible as the rest she was given. Vanessa sniffed the food once, and would've gagged, had their been anything in her stomach to expel. She decided to starve rather than be poisoned.

It was about the middle of the night, when Vanessa heard something that sounded like an engine. She looked out her shaft and saw a car... A flying car! it was hovering just next to her brother's window. She carefully exited her attic, and when she was close enough, she could see that her brother had his window open, as always.

"Talk about having friends in _High places_ Harry." She said, making all of the red-heads in the car jump three feet.

"Jeez Harry! who's this?" The one on the passenger's side asked.

"This is Vanessa; Nessie, this is Ron, Fred, and George Weasley." Harry said in a bit of a rush. "Now we're all acquainted, can we focus on how to get all of the Hogwarts things out of the hall closet?"

"Nice to match the name with the face Vanessa." The one in the back seat said, shaking her hand.

"You too." She replied, smiling. "Now, the hall closet; would that be our "Dear-little-cupboard-under-the-stairs" Harry?"

"That's the one Nessie" Harry replied.

"How convenient." She said, a spark of mischief illuminating her eyes, but her face just as strait as always. "Leave that one to me; I'll be back in fifteen minutes. You all concentrate on getting those bars off the windows." She said, already making her way back across the roof.

She climbed through the shaft, picked the lock on her door, stepped quickly down the stairs to the cupboard just under them, unlocked the cupboard door with her hair-pins, took out Harry's trunk and broom, made her way upstairs to unlock Harry's squeaky door, and dragged the trunk through the door rather quickly.

"We have to hurry." She told the others. "Uncle Vernon might not seem like a light sleeper, but that door is loud enough to wake the dead." They had tied a rope, one end around the bars and the other was secured to the car.

"Harry..." she said as she and her brother made ready to speedily pack the Hogwarts things into the car when the bars were off.

"No." He said simply, his face completely straight as he continued to pack whatever else he might need.

"Why no-" He cut her off.

"Because you don't know how to ride a broom Nessie." He said barely glancing her way, his expression never changing.

"I might be good. You never know."

"I have no doubt that you'll be good. I even want you on the Quiditch team someday. But you have to be alive to do that." She glared as he rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Do you always read her mind Harry?" Asked the one in the passenger's seat, Fred was it? Vanessa glared at him as well before saying in an underlying huff, "Can we go? We're wasting time." All the red-heads snickered as Harry tried and failed to keep a straight face, at her reaction.

"Alright boss." Said the driver, and the car drove at a high speed away, the bars straining to keep hold to the window, and finally letting go with a loud objection, then the car swerved back to them.

"Alright everyone in." Said the smaller one, Ron. "That Uncle of yours might have not noticed the door, but that sound_ would_ wake the dead." And sure enough, as Harry was readying to climb into the car, uncle Vernon came ambling through the door.

"NOOO" He yelled, as Harry's foot swung into the car to join his friends and sister, then all their uncle could do was watch helplessly from the window as they flew off into the night.

* * *

><p>As the sun was just peaking over the distant mountains as a shed of bright red, that soon deepened into a blinding orange yellow. The three Weasley boys, Harry and Vanessa was just making their way into the Burrow. Vanessa awoke on her brother's shoulder, slightly groggy as she noticed they were about to end their journey. Harry looked up, noticing his sister's disappointment at missing the view of somewhere other than the Dursley's home. "You didn't miss much." He said, trying to console her. When he saw that it didn't work he said, "I'll tell you all that I saw later." That made her smile. Harry had a talent for embellishing stories, so that, even if it didn't remotely resemble the original, it always made the tales far more interesting to hear.<p>

"Won't your mother be angry that you took a joyride in your family car?" Vanessa asked.

"Nah." said George, the driver.

"She won't even know we left." Continued his twin, Fred, but as they were just about to enter the door Mrs. Weasley saw them from the clothes line and stalked over to them screaming at The twin pranksters and Ron. The twins then chorused, "Busted."

"Where on earth have you been? We had a search party out looking for you. Your father and I were worried sick! What when we woke up to find you three out of bed and the car gone, we were about to call the Aurors, but we called on the muggle authorities instead of troubling them for one of your IDIOTIC STUNTS!" She then noticed Harry and his sister standing on the side with wide eyes. "Oh hello Harry dear, and who might this be?" She asked, having never before met Vanessa.

"This is my sister, Vanessa ma'am." Harry replied, amused but sorry about the situation he had just seen.

"Well come in dearies, you must be hungry." Mrs. Weasley said, leading them all inside. as they were sitting down Harry whispered to the three, "Sorry about getting you all in trouble."

"Oh, don't be." Fred whispered back.

"Yeah, we usually get in trouble for loads more of things than taking the car for a spin." George added.

"They sometimes reserve the weekends though. Free time and all." Said Ron. They then sat down to eat when Ginny the youngest Weasley entered with her father and saw Harry. She made a quick Bee-line out of the kitchen, and Vanessa saw, with a mischievous hidden smile, the blush she was exiting with. Vanessa had always teased her brother about getting a girlfriend, and she could see this as a chance for her jokes to broaden... on both of them.

"Shy?" She asked.

"You could say that." Fred said smirking. Mrs. Weasley dished them all some eggs and beacon, and Vanessa, startled at the casual use of magic with which the plates were placed in front of them that she spilled her water.

"First time seeing magic?" Fred asked with a smile.

"You could say that." She replied sheepishly.

"And where exactly were you boys last night?" The boy's father asked as an older boy came into the room, reading a book as he came. "You gave your mother and I a heart-attack!" He looked at Harry and Vanessa and his expression became quizzical. "Who are you two?" He asked kindly.

"Arthur, this is Harry and Vanessa." Mrs. Weasley said smiling.

"The Potter siblings! I should have known. Very nice to meet you Harry, Vanessa." He said to them.

"Nice to meet you sir." Harry replied.

"It's a pleasure sir." Vanessa echoed.

Mr. Weasley looked from Harry to Vanessa and back again. "You don't look too much alike, do you?" He said. Harry and Vanessa looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

"What do you mean sir?" Harry asked.

"Well, the eyes are the same, but the faces aren't. I son't know, I can't put my finger on it." He snapped his fingers. "I've got it! You look more like your mother than your brother does."

"Lily had curlier hair..." Mrs. Weasley muttered, frowning slightly. Harry looked at Vanessa with eyebrows raised, and she bit her lip. What was going on?

* * *

><p>A few days later, they all went to Diagon Alley to get supplies. Vanessa made it through the Floo alright, if not completely covered in soot, but she was still waiting for Harry to emerge from the fire-place.<p>

"He should have come through already." Mr. Weasley said, concerned.

"Maybe we should search around." Ron suggested.

Vanessa leaned closer to George. "He's going to be alright, isn't he?" She looked pale. Or more than usual.

George whispered, "He's going to be fine, Ness. don't worry." And she gave him a sideways grin.

"I'm his sister. I never stop worrying."

"Then be thankful your not my sister." He said. "You'd have had heart problems by the time you were two."

* * *

><p>"Harry! I was scared out of my mind!" Vanessa screamed, running toward her brother.<p>

"I'm fine Nessie." He said as he spun her around. "Don't worry so much."

"Who, me? Worried? About you? You've got to be joking." She said, smiling slyly.

"Where'd you end up?" Fred asked.

"Knockturn Alley." Hagrid answered for him.

"Oh my goodness!" Shrieked Mrs. Weasley.

"What was is like?" Asked the twins together.

"Boys!" She scolded.

"Mum band us from ever going in there." They said.

"And for good reason." Hagrid said.

While this exchange was taking place, Harry tapped Ron and Hermione's shoulder's, and spoke to Vanessa in their language, _"We all need to talk." _Vanessa glanced at the adults to make sure they weren't looking their way, ominously took in her surroundings, looking for a secluded shadow where they all could talk. She nodded to her brother and led the way over to the one she though could cover them all.

Harry told them about seeing the Malfoys, and all that the father and the store manager had talked about.

"Sounds down-right skulduggery to me." Vanessa declared, casually leaning against the wall.

"I agree." said Ron. "Anything the Malfoys do is skul... Well, you know what I mean." Vanessa smiled. "You could have just said smelled fishy. That would have been sufficient." He said.

"What would've been the fun in that?" She asked. "And what a complete wast of words." Harry frowned, and she sighed and said, "All I could do at the Dursley's was work and read. It isn't your fault that you had other styles of entertainment."

"Reading isn't bad entertainment." Hermione said, looking offended.

"We'd best go get our supplies." Harry said quickly.

"Yeah, lets go." Vanessa agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's the end of another chapter. Please Review with criticism. If I'm doing something wrong, I want to know about it! :) Also, I know that the Parseltongue wasn't in italics in the last chapter, but it's going to be from now on; Sorry if I caused any confusion. I wan't to thank, Lee Mcloven and Marsda for their unending support, and criticism. I hope y'all enjoy; please read and review!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: A Row With the Willow

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this series… well, except the new characters I've added.**

"The train is leaving dear. You'd best be on it." Mrs. Weasley nudged Vanessa gently in the direction of the whistling train.

"But Harry hasn't come through the barrier yet." Vanessa looked frightfully at the wall where she had come through. She laughed. "He's probably telling Ron one of his jokes. I'll just go tell him to hurry up." Mrs. Weasley smiled as Vanessa straightened her back, as if gathering courage to go back through the dreaded barrier. She ran into it but fell back onto the floor, rubbing her sore head.

"What's wrong dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, coming over and kneeling beside Vanessa. Vanessa looked at the older woman, concern clearly etched in her face.

"The barrier is closed." Mrs. Weasley gasped, but it was drowned out in another whistle of the train. Mrs. Weasley looked at Vanessa.

"You'd best be off, dear. Arthur and I will see what's going on." She said reassuringly, as she and Mr. Weasley helped her board the train just as it was beginning to move.

* * *

><p>After they escaped the the Whopping Willow, they walked, with an air of defeat, toward the castle, just in time to see Ginny get sorted into Griffendor.<p>

"At a' girl, Ginny." Ron said. Harry searched the tables for his sister, and saw her sitting rather heavyhearted, at Griffendor table, as Ginny came to sit beside her. Harry smiled, _at a girl Ness. _He thought. He frowned. "Hey Ron, Snape's not at the teacher's table."

"Wonder where the Greasy Git is." Ron replied.

"Probably wondering the same about you two." Said a dark, silky voice from behind them. They froze. Their breathing froze. It even felt as though their hearts froze. Snape grabed them by the shoulders and marched them through the doors, up the great hall, and into professor Mcgonagall's office.

* * *

><p>From her seat at the table, Vanessa saw one of the teachers shoving Ron and her brother down the hall. Shoving! She hadn't even had had her first class yet and she already knew who her least favorite teacher was going to be. No one shoved her brother around, she thought, except her of she was the headmaster and the professor who had shown her and the other first years in, rise and walk down the hall, she too get up.<p>

"I'm going to the bathroom." She told Ginny. It wasn't exactly a lie. Or so she told herself.

"No your not." Ginny replied. "But don't get into too much trouble." Ginny said with a smile. Vanessa smiled back.

"Who me? Trouble? I think you've got the wrong person." They laughed as Vanessa made her way in the direction that the professors were heading. She caught sight of them again and followed them closely, until they entered into an office, and the man who _ escorted _her brother, came out and stood by the door. She walked up to him.

"Hello," She said, smiling innocently. He glared viciously, and her smile faded uncertainly, but popped back on in an instant. "What is your name?" She inquired sweetly.

"Professor Snape." He growled.

"You're a professor?" she asked, feigning admiration at such a noble occupation. "Which subject do you teach?"

"Chemistry." he said, his expression quizzical. He glared at her for a moment longer, then, as if a light went on, he grunted, "You're one of the Skitter siblings. Another celebrity." He sighed "Whatever shall we do?"

"Celebrity?" She asked, not at all sure what he meant.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the great hall?" He asked suspiciously.

"I went to the bathroom, but I got lost on the way back." When he still didn't look convinced, she added, acting uncertain, "Where is the great hall, sir?" He pointed toward the direction she came from, still not believing her. _I'm wasting time. _She thought, before asking, rather tentative about dropping her cover, "Sir. Is my brother alright? I saw you _shoving _him this way." She added emphasis on the word accusingly.

"So you didn't go to the bathroom after all." He said with a smirk.

"I told someone at the table that I was." She said.

"That doesn't count."

"Doesn't it?" She asked feigning shock. Before the affronted professor could make a retort, they heard what sounded like two boys laughing. The professor opened the door to the office to see Ron and Harry howling with laughter, the headmaster chuckling, and Professor Mcgonagall shaking her head.

"I know you two grew up in difficult circumstances, but honestly, has anyone taught you manners?" She said.

"Yes ma'am." Vanessa replied, "I was taught respect, but I only respect those who respect me and my brother... and his friends." She looked up at what she considered the person guilty of this disrespect. Snape rolled his eyes at her searing glare, and looked at the still wheezing boys.

"Are they expelled yet?" He asked, making the boys catch their breath much faster.

"What do you mean?" Vanessa asked, confused.

"Well Nessie," Harry spoke smoothly. "The barrier to platform nine and three quarters wasn't working."

"I know. I tried to go back through to get you."

"Yes, well, Ron and I, we had this idea, you see, to get to Hogwarts. We flew the car here, and well, we... crashed it?" Vanessa walked over to where her brother and Ron were sitting, and enveloped them in a hug.

"What were you both thinking?" She asked after she had released them. "You could've been killed!" Vanessa was horrified at the thought. "I was so worried when you didn't come through." The adults stared at this exchange with bewilderment. "I got into Griffendor Harry!" She said, her worry fading away.

"I know! I saw you!" Harry exclaimed.

"Ginny got in Griffendor too, Ron." She said.

"That's my sister." He said with a smile.

"But really Harry," Vanessa said, " You won't do something that dangerous again?"

"You mean more dangerous than pulling Aunt Margie's dog's tail?"

"That's not the same harry." She said with a small smile.

"Isn't it?" he said, copying her remark to professor Snape.

Vanessa looked at the professors conversing at the door. "You won't expel them, will you headmaster?"

"Of course not my dear."

"You're not?" Snape looked mortified, as the boys let out their long held breathe.

"Of course not Severus." Dumbledore continued. "But they will have whatever punishment Minerva will give them."

Snape looked furious. "But they broke the muggle secrecy act. They destroyed school property!"

Vanessa's small quiet voice said, "You want them to be expelled professor?" She looked puzzled and frightened at the same time. At this simple quiet question, the professor almost melted. The headmaster looked expectantly at him; he hesitated, then stalked out of the room.

"YES!" The boys cheered. "You saved us!"

"And don't you forget it!" Nessie exclaimed. "Now let's go eat. Harry the food here's delicious!" The headmaster's blue eyes sparkled at them. "that is, if we may have your leave?" She asked tentatively.

He gave them a small smile. "Of course you may, my dear."

After the children walked past, Professor Mcgonagall looked at Dumbledore, amused. "Oh, Albus." She said.

"Yes Minerva?" He asked.

She shook her head and replied, "We have another one."

Dumbledore chuckled, "Yes, I believe we do." And they made their way back to the Great Hall.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey, Sorry this one took me so long. I'll try to stay on top of it this time, but it's going to be tough... (I have guests staying at my house). Well I hope you like this one; I apologize for the length, but I wanted to get this out there to see if anyone is still reading! :D Well I've received the input that My character, Vanessa, should act a bit more like an eleven year old... It's hard not to put new characters in your own point of view! Anyway, please read and REVIEW. I will appreciated well contemplated criticism, but even a post that you like it will be cherished greatly... I will even go for a flame! but with no more ado, Thanks for reading! :D <strong>


	5. Chapter 5: School Is School

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this series… well, except the new characters I've added.**

Severus didn't know what the world was coming to. Usually, when he simply walked the corridors, the students would scatter, but the Potter girl went as far as to give him cheek. HIM! _She has the arrogance of her father. That is for sure. _Severus though. She had made him almost rethink wanting the Potter boy expelled, the bloody good actor! _  
><em>

At two in the morning, he was still grading essays written in chicken-scratch. Severus had to admit though, the Potter girl was a lot like Lily. But the snide remark was more like her brother. Her brother. The same sodden image of their father. James could never enter a room without causing a scene either. Flying a car to Hogwarts! of all the stupid idiotic acts that Potter could've done, he chose the one that Very well might have killed him!

_But, do you know either of them well enough to make judgments?_ the voice inside his head taunted. He dismissed the thought instantly. Severus knew their father, and that was enough to know that the duo was nothing but trouble. He glanced at the clock sitting on his desk, simply marked a T on the paper he couldn't read, and went to bed.

* * *

><p>Potions. The dreaded class that Harry hated. Vanessa wondered if she would hate it as well.<p>

"You all have one hour to complete this potions recipe." Professor Snape said as the instructions wrote themselves on the chalk board behind him. Vanessa looked at the instructions. _Piece of cake__!_ she thought.

It wasn't, in fact, a piece of cake, as she soon found out. Every time she turned to grab another ingredient the cauldron would nearly boil over; She had to time when she poured each ingredient, never early, never late; but the worst part of the lesson was that Professor Snape was always going through the rows of students, instantly pointing out the ones who made a mistake.

Out of all the mistakes the Slytherins made though, it was as if they weren't on his radar, because he merely overlooked them. However challenging the lesson was, the potion she had made was better than the rest of the class; even better than the professor's precious Slytherins'.

In response to her victory, the professor growled "Very good. From whom did you cheat?"

"No one." she replied affronted. _how could I have cheated when mine was better than the whole class's? Now I know why they call you 'The Greasy Git!'._

"Well then, all of you, class dismissed."

But as she was following Ginny out of the class room, she noticed a group of Slytherins standing out in the hall. "You go on. I'll catch up." she told Ginny. Vanessa went back to her desk pretending she had forgotten something. When she saw that Ginny had gone, she made her was back through the doors leading to the hall, and, as she had expected, the group of Slytherins stood in the middle of the hall.

"Excuse me." She said as she tried to push through them.

"Excuse yourself Smarty." said a Slytherin boy with dark brown hair. "Surely if you're smart enough to cook up a potion, You're smart enough to do that."

"Not really. You know, there was once this person, Einstein, Who was so smart he couldn't tie his own shoes!" Vanessa replied.

The sentence received "Who's Einstein?" and "How could anyone be too smart to tie shoes?" Which was exactly what she had been hoping for. She tried to sneak past them when the brown haired boy blocked her way and said, "Nice one! but you aren't getting away that easy, Smarty."

"Getting away from what exactly Cole?" A chilling silky voice asked from behind hem as they all jumped.

"Professor!, um... We were just, er.." Cole started.

"Getting acquainted." Vanessa finished for him. "It's nice to meet you Cole. I'm Vanessa." She smiled at the professor, relieved for the rescue, then at the Slytherin boys, before she said, "If you'll excuse me, I've a class to get to." As she walked away Snape glared at the Slytherins.

* * *

><p>Normally Severus would've let the Slytherins do what they would. It did those arrogant, prideful Griffendors some good to be humiliated ever so slightly. But for some reason, he didn't let them this time. <em>Because she's so much like Lily. <em>He thought. _Lily was good at potions as well. _He sat for a while, enthralled in memories, until the clock chimed. _Time for dinner._

* * *

><p>So Snape's the one who came to the rescue?" Ron asked, horrified, as they all sat down to dinner.<p>

"Yup." Vanessa answered. "I was surprised as well. I didn't think I was getting out of that one. those Slytherins don't like anyone being smarter than them, do they?"

"You have no idea." Harry replied darkly.

"Oh, she'll have a pretty good idea before the end of term." Said a smirking voice behind them.

"Bug off Malfoy." Ron said, clearly not in the mood for unwanted visitors.

"I met you on the train." Said Vanessa, as Harry's face darkened.

"You already know him?" Inquired Harry in a seemingly calm voice that Vanessa always saw whenever Dudley was messing with her.

"That was before I knew you were one of the insolent Potter siblings." Draco Malfoy said with a drawl.

"But you said we might be friends." Vanessa said, confused.

"As I said: before I knew you were one of the Potter siblings." Malfoy replied. "And anyway, I came over to wish you luck in the next Quiditch match Potter. Everyone hopes you'll stay on your broom this time." He sneered and walked away.

"Well, he was nice enough on the train." Vanessa said to Harry timidly, as his dark face softened. Harry smiled at his little sister.

"What was that all about." Hermione asked as she came to sit with them.

"Malfoy being mean as usual." Answered Ron through a mouth full of roast beef.

"Ugh! Honestly Ronald!" She exclaimed, disgusted. "Chew with your mouth closed!"


	6. Chapter 6: Quiditch Compromise

As it turned out, Malfoy wasn't nice at all. Every time he was around, he would try to get either Harry or Vanessa in trouble.

"Using magic between classes is against the rules Potter!" he shouted loud enough for Filch to hear.

"My wand wasn't even out Mr. Filch!" She pleaded when he started dragging her to his office.

"Rules are rules." he said a little too enthusiastically. "What house are you in? ah, yes, Gryffindor. Well, I'll have to call Mcgonagall, and you'll probably get a detention."

"Sir! Detention? I haven't even been through a week here yet!"

"That's what you get for breaking rules." He replied.

Vanessa sighed. "Yes sir. I understand; you're just doing your job." Filch looked quizzical. "It was irresponsible of me to use magic outside of class, but I didn't mean anyone harm." She continued, wide eyed, "I just didn't want to look stupid in front of everyone."

Filch faltered, "It's your first year here; you couldn't have known it was against the rules." He hesitated, then opened the door, gesturing for her to leave.

Vanessa silently let out a breath that had caught within her as she looked up to Filch, "Thank you sir." She said sincerely, and Filch almost smiled.

When she walked out, she saw Malfoy leaning against the opposite wall, his smirk fading as her eyes took on a glint.

"Have a good day Mr. Malfoy." She said to him icily.

The three other Slytherins he was with stared at her with disbelief, but right then she was looking at Malfoy. Malfoy looked away, and Vanessa walked to the great hall for lunch. She decided she wouldn't share this adventure with Harry. Who knew what he might do to Malfoy?

* * *

><p>Astronomy homework wasn't nearly as difficult as Ron put it out to be. <em>Just find the planets on the map, and trace them onto the graph. Simple enough.<em> Vanessa thought. The one thing she hadn't expected was hating a class more than potions. In fact, potions was simple, just like following a recipe. (In which, she could see why Harry disliked the subject... He was never good at cooking.) It was Defense, surprisingly, that she considered a joke. Sure, Snape was tough, but at least he _taught_ you something! All this Lockhart ever did was gloat. _So Harry had a sadistic murderer in his first year of defense, and I have an imbecilic moron in mine... Irony is a funny thing._

Vanessa liked to use big words for two reasons; one, it made her sound sophisticated, and two, whenever she used those words Dudley would take on a blank expression and put his finger to his chin, as if he were actually_ thinking_! She had a sketch of him doing that, which she and Harry would laugh over every now and then.

She was starting to draw the outline of a cat with her quill when she came to, and spelled the ink off her homework. However simple Astronomy was, it was just too easy to drift away.

"Get lost in the homework?" Malfoy asked behind her.

"A bit." She admitted, turning to see him. Malfoy ducked his head before looking at her.

"I..." He started, "I'm sorry for getting you in trouble yesterday."

Vanessa feigned shock. "A Slytherin saying sorry?" She said as if truly astonished. "This will be in the books for ages!"

Malfoy smirked. "It doesn't happen often, so take advantage." He said and she smiled. He frowned before asking, "So, how did you get out of Filch's clutches without a detention?" She laughed.

"You know that phrase, flattery doesn't get you anywhere?" She asked and he nodded. "Whoever said it was an idiot." He smirked as her eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Oh." He said simply, and they erupted into laughter.

"Hush! This is a library!" Madam Pince whispered sharply, sending them into silent laughter.

"You know, you're not all that bad Potter."

"Neither are you." Vanessa replied. "But don't call me Potter."

Malfoy frowned. "What's your full name?" He asked.

"Vanessa Saundra."

"Hmm... Potter calls you Nessie, so that's taken; how about Sadie? For your middle name?"

"That's good." She said, and looked at the wall clock. "I've got to go though. Transfiguration."

"I've got Herbology in fifteen minutes." He grimaced, and Vanessa laughed.

"See you Malfoy."

"See you Sadie." He paused and added, "And call me Draco."

* * *

><p>"He's up to something." Both Ron and Harry chorused.<p>

"Just because he's being nice, that means he's planning to double-cross me the first chance he gets?" Vanessa asked, skeptical.

"Of course he is." Hermione said in her matter-of-fact tone. "He's a Slytherin."

Vanessa looked down, knowing she couldn't tell them that the hat had wanted to place her in Slytherin. She would become an outcast... Again. She wouldn't be able to bear it if her life in Hogwarts was just like her life at the Dursley's, or maybe worse... and what would Harry think? He hated Slytherins.

Harry put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Ness." He said. "But you'll make some real friends in no time."

"I think I already have." She smiled up at the three most honest people she had ever met... But she still didn't believe that Malfoy was lying to her; he wasn't exactly honest, but he wasn't lying to her.

* * *

><p>"Hey Drac," She said at the library after defense class. "So... I have to dislike you in public."<p>

Drac snorted. "That's what I was going to tell you."

Vanessa smiled. "Friends don't approve?"

"Let's just say that they don't think it's a good thing to be friends with a Potter." He grimaced, and Vanessa laughed.

"My friends don't think it's a good thing to be friends with a Slytherin."

"You mean your brother right?" He smirked. "Eleven years old and still your brother's making the decisions. Tsk, tsk."

"Better than the Dursley's making the decisions." She said.

His smirk faded when he asked, "Was it as bad there as everyone says?" She sighed.

She hadn't meant to bring up the Dursley's, but she realized it too late. "People exaggerate." She answered.

* * *

><p>It was the first Quidditch practice Vanessa had ever seen, and she was excited to see her brother fly. <em>I have flying lessons tomorrow. <em>She shuddered at the thought. The idea of being up in the air without support was terrifying to her. She had asked her brother to teach her how to fly over the summer so she wouldn't seem like the only kid in class who didn't know how, but, of course, he had told her, "You'll learn everything you'll need to at school. And you're not going to be the only one to never have flown before". The Weasley Twins had offered to teach her, but Mrs. Weasley's answer was the same as Harry's, so learning to fly early was out of the question. She was drawn out of her reverie with the arrival of her brother and his team.

"Is flying as easy as Harry says it is?" She peppered Ron and Hermione with questions until Ron interrupted. "What are the Slytherins doing here?"

"Obviously nothing good." Hermione replied as she, Ron, and Vanessa made their way off the stands and onto the Quidditch field.

"What's going on Harry?" Ron asked as they faced the Slytherins.

"I booked the field!" Oliver said fiercely.

"Yes, but we have a pass." The Slytherin captain pulled out a piece of parchment. "'I grant permission to the Slytherin Quidditch Team use of the field, seeing as they have a new seeker to train.' He signed it and everything."

"Who signed it? Ron asked.

"Who do you think?" Oliver grunted, still glowering.

"Snape, right?" Harry asked. "Who's your new seeker?"

A pale boy with nearly white hair stepped out from behind the slightly taller team members.

"Malfoy? That's your new seeker?" Ron exclaimed.

Vanessa rolled her eyes and gave Draco an, 'Are you serious?' look. he just smiled and shrugged.

"Yeah, his father donated seven new brooms for the whole team." The Gryffindors looked at the brooms.

"Is that-?" Angelina started.

"Nimbus two thousand and ones? Yes." One of the Slytherins said. "Nothing but the best from the Malfoys."

"Well at least everyone on the Gryffindor team didn't have to buy their way in. They all got in with pure talent." Hermione said.

"Nobody asked the mudblood." Malfoy sneered. Everyone gasped but Harry, Nessie, and Hermione. They didn't know what the word meant. It must have been bad though, because Oliver, Ron, and the girls started yelling at Malfoy.

"You're going to pay for that Malfoy." Ron said as he pointed his wand at Draco; but instead of Draco getting hit, Ron's wand backfired, and he started to gag. A slug plopped out of his mouth and fell onto the grass making Angelina back away with disgust and the entire Slytherin team burst his hysterical laughter.

"Bug off Malfoy." Harry said as he, Vanessa, and Hermione helped Ron to Hagrid's hut.

"Come inside!" Hagrid said looking concerned. "Who'd ya try to jinx? And what with?"

"Malfoy...Slugs." Ron replied between bouts of gagging into the pot that Hagrid have him. "But it backfired."

"Well maybe it's a good thing it didn't hit Malfoy." Hagrid said. "To much trouble that it would've caused. Best thing you can do now is wait for it to stop. What's he done to get your back up?"

Vanessa saved Ron the trouble of answering. "He called Hermione something."

"I don't know what it means, but from everyone's reaction it must have been bad." Hermione said.

"It was." Rom said before ducking back into the bucket again. "He called... her a Mudblood." Hagrid looked taken aback.

"You're joking! Galloping gargoyles!"

"What does it mean?" Harry asked, and Hagrid sighed.

"It's an awful word for someone who is muggle born. Some folks who are born into pure wizarding families think their blood is more pure than others, and that people who were born to non-wizarding families have tainted blood, dirty. But it's a load of codswallop, so don't believe a word of it."

Vanessa, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly got up. "I'll be back." She said before closing the door behind her. She made her way to the Quiditch field, where both teams were still arguing. "Draco!" She shouted sharply, making him topple from his broom to the ground. She rushed forward to him to see if he was alright. She fell to her knees beside him, scratching her hand on a rock. She leaned forward, as if comparing her hand to his slightly scrapped leg. She looked at both of their blood thoughtfully, and said without looking at his face, "My mother was muggle-bourn." Draco's eyes widened, and his shoulders sagged. "She's my friend Draco." She looked at him, and after a moment, he nodded. She nodded and got up to address the captain. "Well, your pass had no date or time, and the Gryffindor Team already booked the field for today, so I suggest you pack up and move on." Some of the Slytherins snorted.

"What?" The captain demanded gruffly, and Vanessa gave an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, don't tell me that you're stupid and deaf." By this time Harry, Hermione, a still green looking Ron came back from Hagrid's hut to hear the conversation. Fred and George, of course, were sniggering at her last comment.

"I have seen your pass," She started slowly. "And I agree whole-heartily with it. You should have time to train your new seeker, because I suspect he will be the only competent player on this team, and it would break my heart to see the Gryffindor team forced to kick a very ragged dog when he's down, in this game coming up.

"But it is only fair that the other three teams have practice as well; and as the Gryffindor team has booked the field already, and seeing as you have no specified time on your pass, I suggest that you pack all your shiny new bribes... oh, I mean brooms, and leave the field to us." He was about to make a retort, but she cut in, "And I'm sure the Headmaster would agree." As if that finalized it, the Slytherin captain regarded her with measuring eyes, then nodded. "Nice Potter. Pack up everyone!" The Slytherins started, begrudgingly to exit the field.

As Draco was passing her, he stopped. "You win... This time."

She smiled as he left the pitch.

After the Slytherins had all left the field, the Gryffindors cheered.

"Your sister's a genius mate!" Oliver shouted. "I didn't even consider that the pass had no time!"

"I didn't either until two minutes ago." Vanessa said.

"You're still the best." Harry said, hugging her.

"Alright guys, I came out here to watch some practicing." Vanessa said.

As Fred passed her, he said, "Insults laced in a compromise. Brilliant." They all got on their brooms and Ron, Hermione, and Vanessa made their way back to the stands.


	7. Chapter 7: Death Days and Voices

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this series… well, except the new characters I've added.**

"Harry, what exactly is a 'death day' party?" Vanessa asked as they made their way to the dungeons for Sir Nicholas's party.

"I have no idea." Harry replied. "But I promised Nearly Headless Nick that I'd be here."

"Probably can't be that bad, can it?" Rom asked.

"Ron," Vanessa rolled her eyes. "It's a _death_ day party." They arrived at the party to music that would make even the happiest of people fall into a bout of depression.

"Oi! There's live uns!" One of the ghosts said before floating over to them. "Say, wach ya doin' here?"

Vanessa spoke in the most timid voice she could muster. "Because Sir Nick asked us to come. And he scares me."

Nick looked very pleased with her answer, even though he had talked to Vanessa enough times to know that it was a lie.

"What? This ol' chap?" The other ghost asked as if he didn't believe a word. "Did he tell you to say that?" He didn't wait for a response before he broke into laughter. The two ghosts floated away and Vanessa, after seeing the rotten food, had started to feel sick.

"Hey guys, would it be alright if I went up to the Halloween feast? It's getting kind of... uh,"

"Sure Ness." Harry said with a smile. "It's your first year. We wouldn't want to scare you off." she snorted before making her way to the feast.

"How's it?" She asked Ginny as she sat down next to her.

"It's fine." She said. "A bit boring without Ron, Harry and Hermione."

"What, it wouldn't be boring if I weren't here?" Vanessa teased.

"Not what I meant." Ginny said with a smile. Harry had been right about the feast though, The food was delicious. Just as the students were leaving the table, they heard a scream.

The whole of the student body, even those who hadn't stood up yet, were scrambling to get to the hallway that the Headmaster, Professor Mcgonagall, Professor Snape, and Filch were already standing in. Everyone was slightly shaken to see Filch crying, but they all paled when they caught a glimpse of Mrs. Norris hanging from the bathroom door.

"Caught in the act! You did this!" He was saying through sobs.

"Argus! Settle down." The Headmaster said half demanding half consolingly. "This is not the work of a second year. There is no way that Harry did this." He turned toward Harry Ron and Hermione. "You three I am going to need to see in my office, and Severus, bring the poor Mrs. Norris." By this time Vanessa's least favourite teacher arrived. Lockhart started along with the rest of the teachers. Vanessa broke from the crowd of students being shepherded back to their houses by the other teachers, and followed a little ways behind her friends and the professors.

They reached a stone gargoyle and the Headmaster said the password. "Now or Later." Vanessa recognized that as a candy. Now or Later's and Mike and Ike's were Dudley's favourites.

As they all walked in, Vanessa entering just before it closed, Professor Mcgonagall regarded the Headmaster strangely. "Not a sweet this time?" she half asked, giving the Headmaster a sidelong look.

"Of course it is, just probably one you've never heard of."

Professor Snape snorted. "It's a muggle sweet... That I haven't _seen_ since the eighties."

They all proceeded to the Headmaster's desk where Professor Snape placed the cat he was levitating, and the Headmaster started examining it.

"If only I had been present," Lockhart was saying, making even Professor Mcgonagall roll her eyes in disgust. "I know exactly the counter curse that could've saved her." He gave a daunting sigh as Filch erupted into sobs. Professor Snape on the other hand, looked ready to boil not his own blood...

"Will You-" He started before the Headmaster interrupted.

"There there, Argus. Mrs. Norris is not dead." He said soothingly.

"Not dead?" Filch said with a hopeful, yet tear-stained expression.

"No," The Headmaster said. "I do believe she is petrified though, but as soon as Pomona has the Mandrakes ready, we can make a potion to bring her back."

Lockhart, seeing his chance to shine, spoke up. "Headmaster, may I be responsible for making the potion? I've made it a hundred times you see." At this, Professor Snape exploded.

"I believe, if I am not mistaken," He said in a deadly cold, and contemptuous voice. "That I am the Potions Master in this school, and, unless of course you've taken that job as well, I am the responsible party for making _all _potions used it it."

Lockhart apparently got the hint. "Ah... Yes... Of course you do." He stumbled under the careful restraint of the Potions Master, who, as it seemed, had little restraint left.

"Excuse me, but if you've made the potion 'a hundred times' you obviously knew what it was for, am I right?" Vanessa said from her corner with a very sincere confusion evident on her face.

"How did you get in here?" Professor Snape asked.

Harry snorted. "She's good at that kind of thing."

"I Followed..." Vanessa said, looking at the professor as if it was something commonplace and which should've been obvious. "But I am right? You knew you were making it for someone who had been petrified? And that means that you've seen things like that before." Vanessa asked again.

Lockhart took on an impossible expression of grave yet pompous. "I have young one." The other professors rolled their eyes or sighed, exasperated, and the Headmaster smiled slightly.

Vanessa frowned reprovingly at the 'young one' label. "But if you've seen people or animals like that, how did you not recognize the same on Mrs. Norris?" Ron and Harry turned red-faced in an attempt to staunch their laughter... which didn't help much.

"Ah, Well, you see, I'd only ever seen this curse on humans, and it looks rather different on animals." He lied smoothly, but she could still tell that it was a falsehood. She was 'good at that sort of thing' as well.

"I see," She said as if a new understanding was placed upon her. "That makes sense Professor, thank you." Lockhart smiled, mostly at his own ingenious cover-up, and turned away.

Snape, leaned ever so slightly to her, and Vanessa heard him say, in an almost whisper, "He was lying."

She leaned over slightly as well before saying, in the same level tone, "I know." Vanessa could swear that she saw the professor almost smile, but it was covered in a cough.

"Shouldn't you be punishing him?" Filch started, pointing toward Harry. "He did this to her!"

"Argus, he did nothing of the sort." The Headmaster said, tenderly, but reprovingly. "Harry is a second year, and could never have learned this level of magic."

"But he did it!" Filch insisted. "He was caught!"

"Mr. Filch!" Vanessa said looking up at the distraught and angry caretaker. "You heard the Headmaster, Harry couldn't have possibly done it. Also, I know my brother, and even if he had the education, he still wouldn't cross that line." She sighed. "I know you're upset. I would be to if Mrs. Norris were my cat, she is lovely, but striking out at the wrong person would not do her any good, even for retribution."

"She is right Headmaster, Harry couldn't have done this," Professor Snape said, almost knocking the wind from Harry and Ron, who obviously didn't see him standing up for Harry, in the near future or otherwise. "But that begs the question... why was he in that particular hallway, when the feast was a ways away from it."

Harry opened his mouth, then closed it... then did it again, so Vanessa decided to save him the trouble of answering. "They were probably headed away from the death day party." she said.

Mcgonagall looked confused. "Death day party?"

Harry found his tongue. "Yes ma'am, sir Nickolas's party in the dungeons. He asked us to attend."

"I had left earlier, to get to the feast, but they all stayed a while longer." Vanessa said.

"Interesting that you all have the capability to go down into the dungeons _without_ being forced to, but still, the dungeon entrance is a few corridors away from that particular hallway." Snape said.

Vanessa, sensing a deeper meaning behind the discrete glances of Ron, Hermione, and Harry, spoke for them. "Sir, the dungeons are in the opposite direction of the Great Hall. It's a short cut that they taught me, because I have Potions class right after breakfast on Wednesdays." The professor grunted, and then turned away.

"That is all we wanted children." The Headmaster said. "You may go."

They walked out of the office and down the deserted corridors, and when they were almost to the Fat Lady Portrait, Vanessa stopped them. "Why were you really in that hallway?"

Harry looked uncomfortable. "I was following a... voice... and it lead us there." He looked worried. "Do you think I should've told that to Dumbledore?"

"No." Ron said simply. "Even in this world, hearing voices that nobody else can, isn't a good thing."

They entered the common room, empty because of the time, with grave faces.

as they were about to climb their separate stairs, Vanessa took Harry's arm. "Weird things happen to us all the time Harry. It's nothing knew." She said in jest, and he smiled before hugging her and bidding goodnight.


	8. Chapter 8: Suspicions and Supositions

**Disclaimer: I do not own this series. Obviously...**

"I would personally love to believe this to be Lockhart." Vanessa said to Draco as they made their way to History of Magic Class.

Draco snorted. "I don't think he's clever enough... I don't think he's clever at all!"

"But he's the worst professor I think Hogwarts has ever allowed here."

Draco stopped. "He might be the most idiotic, the most imbecilic moron you've ever met, but sadistically? You should've met Quirrell. He was the worst professor Hogwarts ever let a job to."

Vanessa looked solemnly at him. "My brother told me."

Draco, trying to lighten the mood, said, "Don't worry about having Idiot-Hart here next year. Everyone knows that the Defense class never holds a teacher."

"Why not?" Vanessa asked.

"Well some people say it's cursed..."

Vanessa laughed. "Yeah right." She said.

"Hey, I've gotta get to Herbology." Draco said.

"Okay, see you around Drac."

"See you."

History was boring as usual. Vanessa would love the subject, if it had a more enthusiastic teacher. She loved learning about the Goblin Rebellions, and the history of the school, but the droning voice of Mr. Binns sucked the life out of flowers, never the less how the school was warded.

Someone lifted their hand. "Professor, what is the Chamber of Secrets?"

"A LEGEND!" Was all he replied. _I wonder if Hermione had something to do with his mood._

* * *

><p>Everyone was early to the dueling club. Lockhart may have been an idiot, but the prospect of fighting without getting in trouble for it... the prospect of being taught to fight, was simply thrilling.<p>

"Hello, hello. Welcome." Lockhart's sickeningly sweet voice echoed through the halls. "Well, I have an announcement! Professor Snape has kindly agreed to assist me in this club!" He ended in an enthusiastic flourish, as if he was expecting an applause. Severus scowled at the infuriating man's ignorance. Even the teachers all knew that the student body not in Slytherin House hated the Potion's Master, some even with a passion. "But don't worry, You'll still have your Potions Professor after I'm done with him." If possible, Severus's scowl deepened. It was his idea in the first place to teach the children _proper __defense, _because this blathering idiot certainly wasn't going to do it.

"Now how's about a demonstration." Severus nearly smiled. _Don't worry children, you_ may _have your Defense teacher when I'm through... _"Expelliarmus!" He shouted before Lockhart could think of a spell.

Then the blasted man had the gall to chuckle. "Yes, that was a very nice thing to teach them Severus. Of course you were very obvious about it and I could have blocked if I wanted to." Whatever happy feeling Severus had at showing this man up had vanished. Him obvious! Preposterous! Of all the...

Severus heard something like laughter in the crowd, and then Potter's hushed voice saying, "Alright, I don't even remotely like Snape, but I know he wasn't being 'obvious.' " Snape nearly smiled again. At least some of his students had logical thinking. Even if it was one of the demeaning ones.

"Yeah," Potter's friend Weasley spoke up as well. "That was just Lockhart showing of again... big surprise there." Severus glanced at Lockhart. Apparently, even over the hum of the other students, Lockhart heard them too.

* * *

><p>Lockhart, looking as if he was caught in his own trap, said, "Perhaps we should show them some basic attacks as well..." Vanessa almost outright laughed when she saw her defense professor's train of thought fade away at the "Try it and die" glint in her potions professor's eye. "Well how about we split you up into pairs." Lockhart suggested instead. "Now let's see, Nevile and Harry-"<p>

"That is a bad match Professor." Snape said. "Longbottom barely has any control, you'd be sending what was left of Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Vanessa watched as Nevile blushed red and looked down. She stepped slightly in between him and the feared potions professor, as a subtle way of saying, "Don't mess with my friends." He seemed to get it because he smirked. She raised her eye brows. "Instead, why don't you pair him with Mr. Malfoy." Vanessa paled. She knew they were rivals. She knew Draco wouldn't hurt him severely. Yet she also knew Draco was well versed in Dark... She thought of Dark magic as something that controlled you, not the other way around.

* * *

><p>"Alright now, try to disarm your opponent only." Severus snorted. These were teenagers. There was no way they would only disarm their rivals. <em>I wouldn't merely disarm my opponent.<em> He thought. As soon as Lockhart said begin, chaos reigned. Jinxes flying left and right, some even nearly hitting Severus. "Alright, that's enough!" Lockhart had to nearly scream to be heard over the pandemonium. "Well, how about one of you at a time. Hmm, Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy. Why don't you go first?" _This is not going to bode well. _Was Severus' first thought. "Alright, The first attack will be Mr. Malfoy's. Mr. Potter, you defend. Here, I'll show you a blocking technique." Severus watched as the mad did some idiotic movements with his wand... and then dropped it. "humph. Uh, well. we'll begin on my mark."

"But what do I do?" Potter looked bewildered. Somewhat different from his father's proud suave.

"Just do what I did Harry." Lockhart said helpfully. Severus almost wanted to help the poor boy himself. Almost.

"I don't think dropping my wand is going to help." Severus had to choke his laughter. Draco seemed to notice, and he was smiling as well.

"Thought you didn't like Potter." He said quietly to Severus.

"I don't. And yet, somehow, I like Lockhart even less." Draco snorted, and took his place across from Potter, and as Lockhart said begin. Draco let loose a spell his father had taught him. The snake uncoiled slowly. Even Draco seemed nervous, Severus supposed he had never done a spell like that, and didn't exactly know what to expect. "Stand aside. Stop moving Potter." Potter was moving slowly back from the snake. Something that struck Severus as odd, was that Potter seemed to be cautious of the snake... but not frightened.

"No, no, allow me." Lockhart said. That made Severus cautious. And as expected, Lockhart did not dispel of the snake. Instead did a flip with it and sent it in the direction of the students. "Yes well, that happens."

"No it does not." Severus muttered.

* * *

><p>The snake seemed to be mad after it's little trip into the air, and it started slithering to one of the students... Dean Thomas. Vanessa was rushing forward to help when she heard her brother say "No, Stop!" In the sibling's shared language. The snake backed off of Dean, and Harry looked relieved.<p>

But Dean looked horrified. "What are you playing at?" He said before he took off.

* * *

><p>Severus noticed that the whole of the Great Hall seemed to blame Potter for the incident. Yes, Severus would admit that the words sounded... Strange, but if they couldn't have seen the absolutely terrified child when the snake slid up to his friend they were all blind. Severus banished the snake, as he watched the Potter siblings' friend's shepherd the two confused black haired children from the Hall.<p>

* * *

><p>"Harry didn't do anything wrong!" Vanessa cried when the four were alone.<p>

"I just told the snake to stop." Harry said, completely confused as to why one of his friends fled so quickly away from him.

"Oh, is that what you said?" Ron asked.

"What do you mean?" Exclaimed Harry. "You were right there!"

"What I heard was Parseltongue." Ron said.

"Is that what the language is called?" Vanessa asked.

Ron gingerly put his hand to his face. "You know it too?"

"Sort of."

"Look Harry," Hermione said gently. "This is something... delicate."

"Alright. I can speak to snakes." Harry said slowly. "I bet loads of people can do it."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other. "Only Salazar Slytherin Harry."

Ron pulled at his collar. "The fact that you two know it..."

Harry shook his head. "I taught Vanessa. She wasn't bourne knowing it."

"He taught me with a Garter snake when ever we did aunt Petunia's garden." Vanessa said in a small voice.

"Alright, that will look better." Hermione said, sounding very much like a lawyer who was protecting her felon clients. "But you still don't want to tell anyone you know the language, it might look suspicious.

"So, no more talking to each other in Parseltongue when we don't wan't other people to know what we'er saying?" Vanessa looked at Harry, and bit her lip.

"Only for a while Ness." He said, and the four headed to what was sure to still be an empty Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

><p>Vanessa walked with Harry, Ron, and Hermione out to the beech tree. "You went into a <em>girls <em>lavatory?" She asked Ron.

"It was just to ask Moaning Myrtle some questions!" He stated firmly as his face changed colour to match his hair.

Vanessa smirked, but decided to let him off easy this time. "So, what have you all learnt?"

"Nothing!" Said Ron, exasperatedly. "She was no help at all."

"And I still can't find a copy of _Hogwarts, a History _Anywhere!" Hermione nearly yelled.

Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "So much for Ravenclaw Intelligence." She muttered.

"What was that?" Hermione asked distractedly.

Vanessa rolled her eyes as Harry muffled laughter at her reaction. "Honestly, is it so easy to forget that I am younger than Harry?" She looked at the three in turn before reaching into the leather messenger bag she used for her books, and pulled out the book in question. "You're a first year? Really?" She imitated Hermione's voice.

Hermione blushed before saying a very small "Thank you."

Vanessa laughed. "Honestly, do I look older? 'Cause that would be awesome!" Vanessa paused. "There's nothing in there besides that the Chamber can't be opened by anyone but the Heir of Slytherin."

"Oh, that's a hard one! Who do we know who believes that Pure-Blood Cra- Stuff?" Ron said sarcastically.

Vanessa knew where this was going. "Very eloquent Ron. Well I can name a dozen. Zabini for one. Theo, I mean Nott, is a Half-Blood, so he's out."

"Theodore Nott is a Half-Blood?" Harry asked astonished. "How do you learn these things?"

Vanessa smiled. "Hi, I'm Vanessa. I know things."

"I'm talking about Malfoy!" Ron shouted.

"Lower you're voice Ronald Weasley!" Vanessa admonished sharply. "You have as little an idea on this as the rest of us. Draco Malfoy may be a git now and then, but he has more of a conscience than to do something like this." She took a breath. "Besides, Dumbledore said that a second year couldn't have possibly done it."

"What ever you say..." Ron said, still looking unconvinced.

"Well, if you're so dead set on believing it, how about we prove it?" Harry said. Ron looked at Harry, astonished that his friend wouldn't side with him. "What? I don't like him at all, but that doesn't mean he's the Heir, does it?"

"We would be breaking at least fifty school rules..." Hermione said hesitantly. "But I think I know a way."

"Well, if you two are to become harry's and my fellow juvenile delinquents, you'd better learn how to be good at it." Vanessa said. "Rule one for breaking our relatives rules Harry?"

Harry smirked. "Never discuss your scathing plans in the open, where they, or Dudley can hear you."

"Exactly." Vanessa said, and they headed to their common room... never noticing the pale, blond boy siting on the opposite side of the tree...

* * *

><p>"We can't get a book out of the restricted section without it screaming bloody murder." Harry said. "Believe me, I've tried."<p>

"I'm optioning for a secondary position as an assistant librarian." Vanessa said.

The three paused.

"That's great!" Hermione said. "That you look well on any job application, and you'd have unlimited access to the library for what ever report your working on! I can't believe I didn't think of it."

"I know! And Madam Pince isn't so bad once she believes you're responsible."

"And this is relevant... How?" Ron asked.

"Ronald! She could get into the restricted section!"

"I'll try." Vanessa said slowly, stressing the word. "I don't know if Madam Pince will let me, I've only just discussed this with her."

So later that day she was hired as the part-time assistant to the strict librarian.

"Madam Pince?" She asked as she was helping her shelf read all the books to make sure they were in order.

"Yes dear?" Madam Pince had taken to calling her that, and since Vanessa had never had someone use any term of endearment on her before, she wasn't about to complain. Although the ones her Aunt Petunia used for Dudley made her sick, the ones which the usually stoic librarian used were, in Vanessa's opinion, _Very_ different.

"I was wondering. Will I be working in the restricted section as well?"

Madam Pince chuckled. "I should've expected a question of that sort. Even the most responsible of children, such as yourself, would naturally be curious to that section." The woman looked at Vanessa almost mysteriously. "I always work that section. And don't think you'll be getting books out of there without a teachers signature either." She added pointedly. "Just because you are my assistant doesn't mean you get what the other students don't."

Vanessa's face flushed. "Yes ma'am." She said.

* * *

><p>"I can't get into the restricted section." Vanessa said while they were all in the Common Room.<p>

"That's alright." Hermione said pulling out a form for a restricted book. "I thought to have Lockhart sign, just in case the first plan of you getting the book didn't work."

"Lockhart signed it without even looking to see what book it was!" Ron exclaimed.

"He didn't care." Said Harry. "It was for his favourite student, after all."

"He was just busy, is all." Hermione defended. "You don't know what these teachers have to do all day."

"Cough! He's an idiot. Cough!" Vanessa said covering her mouth for effect. "I think I'm coming down with something."

"Yeah." Said Fred and George coming over to them. "Sounds like you're coming down with a bad case of 'Intelligence'.'

"You know, not many witches have it when it's concerning Lockhart." Fred said.

"Yeah, it's considered a very rare brain function." Added George.

"Oh, shut up the lot of you." Said Hermione. "We'll get the book next Monday."

"What book?" The Twins asked.

"Just some stupid assignment Lockhart is having us all do." Covered Harry smoothly, Rolling his eyes for emphasis.

"We feel for you mates." The Twins said before heading up for bed.

"Nice Harry." Vanessa said. "I suppose my work to make you into a good liar is finally showing."

* * *

><p>Another Saturday had Vanessa in the library. It was becoming her favourite place to be. She didn't get along too well with most of the girls in her year; all they wanted to do was talk about dresses and make-up. <em>you can't even wear dresses here. <em>Vanessa thought, pulling out another book and puting away the one she had finnished. _Hm, magical animals of today and yesterday. _She was just about to head for the arm chair when she heard voices. Vanessa never understood what impulse made her hide at any sign of another human, or head in the opposite direction, she just always did, so she stayed behind the bookshelf, listening.

"I mean, no one knows how he survived the attack from You-Know-Who. He could be the heir of Slytherin."

"That's crazy!" Someone exclaimed. "Have you forgotten who this is?"

"Dean Thomas thinks so, and he's in the same house as Harry. We have him holed up in Hufflepuff House for the weekend. He knows Harrys going after him next, because he told Harry himself that his mum was a muggle."

"You all are over reacting! I know Harry. He would never do something like that."

"Then you tell me, if you know him so well, How did he survive? Look there's something dark about the whole thing. If-"

Vanessa came out into the clearing. She walked over to the 'study' table they were useing. "May I sit with you all? I'm working on some homework." They nodded and she sat down. She made a show of arranging her book and parchment on the table. "My mother was muggle bourne." She said without looking up at any of them. She finally looked up through her lashes at the students. Some looked ashamed of themselves. The Hufflepuff who was speaking against her brother looked down. "My goodness! Silly me, This was a Herbology assignment, not Care of Magical Creatures! excuse me."

She left the table, her book and parchment in tow, and went to the other side of the library. _After everything that Harry has done for them, they would suspect him! Outrageous!_

She sat down at the small table in a corner in the back. No one but her came to this side of the library, and she was also safe from Madam Pince's prying eyes. She was usually on good terms with the strict librarian, but at the moment she wanted to be alone. Sitting there, she was looking over to the bookshelves without any intrest, when she saw a journal-like book jamed on the bottom shelf. Madam Pince never came back here as there were too many books to shelve that the students actually read, in the front of the library, so Vanessa doubted that the pickly woman ever saw this book. Vanessa left her chair and tugged the tightly fitted book out of the shelf. She walked back to the small table looking only at the journal. It was a darker shade of red, with ornate designs on the bourder and the enclosing flap. Simple but elegant. She sat and opened the cover; inside was a picture of a red-headed woman and someone who looked like her best friend. Someone who looked like Snape.

_Once apon a time, Snape had a friend... interesting. _Intrigued, She read the "This journal belongs to" incaption. _Lily Evans... hm. _She read the first two sentences and had to stifle laughter, though some of it was slightly sad.

_ My mother insists I write in this... it is not my wish, so do not expect me to write any "Dear Journal" at the top of the page. I have always found this superficial and stupid. If I were writing to a friend I would put a heading like that, not some book that no one but me is going to read! Anyway, this is a week after my eleventh birthday, and I'm looking forward to going to Hogwarts with my best friend Severus. Sev's mum tells us stories in the early evenings sometimes when Tobias is out at work. She doen't talk to us about it when he's home, because he gets mad at her. I don't go there too much, unless Sev says his dad's out. He scares me a bit. Petunia is still ignoring me. Ever since she found out that I was going to Hogwarts and she couldn't she's been doing that. I hope we make up soon. I miss my older sister._

_~Lily_

_Petunia..._ _That couldn't be Aunt Petunia, could it? _Vanessa looked at the picture again. The girl looked similer to the pictures that Hagrid gave them of Harry's and her mother. This could be her mother at eleven years old! Vanessa put the journal in the leather bookbag she always carried, and rushed to her dorm room, full of exitment. The encounter with the Hufflepuffs, forgotten.

Vanessa spent Sunday looking at the scrap-book that Hagrid gave Harry, reading the names on the back of the photographs. She came to one of her favourites, Her mum and dad's wedding. The caption on the back read, _Lily Evans and James Potter's wedding._

_YES! _She thought. She had her mother's childhood journal.

* * *

><p>She had Potions class on Monday morning, but she couldn't stop smiling. Not even when she almost exploded her couldron. Twice.<p>

"Would you pay attention!" Snape fumed. "You could've killed yourself and your class mates! In your first few classes you showed potential, how ever little. But now I don't think you know the meaning of the word! Detention, and twenty points from Gryffindor." That stopped her from smiling. But she almost smiled again. _I get to have detention with my mum's best friend!_ She had a vegue thought that told her she was being rediculous. This was still Snape, best friend to her mother, or not.

She met Harry for dinner that night. She had been unable to speak with him alone for the whole Sunday, and she was ecstatic over being able to tell him about the journal. She was reading it at the table for something to do while waiting for Harry, when she read an entry, and had to read it twice to comprehend it.

_I've made a terrible mistake. FireWhiskey is not the best of things to drink when you are upset. I supose I ran into Sev again. I never told him I forgave him, but I did. I woke up with a spliting headache and I was not at home. Now there is a child on the way, but I don't want James to suspect anything. He was so happy when Harry was bourne, that I'm sure he'll love this child as well. I write this as I am hiding this journal, the companion I've had since I was eleven. I've decided to hide it where I know for sure, no one will stumble across it. My second home, Hogwarts. This will be the last entry in this journal, both because I cannot come back to it again, and that it is to dangerous to keep record of this war. I know that the safest place for this is in the fireplace, but I cannot bring myself to burn it. So I say farewell to the pages who have always listened to my every thought._

_~Lily_

Vanessa felt as though she had been kicked in the gut. She was slowly understanding what it meant. _Sev means Severus, meaning...Snape._ No sooner had she thought this then her brother and his friends came to join her.

"Hey Harry." She said nonchalantly as she put the journal into her bookbag.

"Hey Nessie." He replied, downcast "Good news or bad news first?"

"Um.. Bad..." She said hesitantly.

"I have detention... with Lockhart!"

Vanessa griminced. "Ouch! I've got my first detention tonight."

"With who?" Ron asked, already digging into the food.

"Snape."

Hermione gasped, Ron choked on his food (which wasn't all that unusual), and Fred and George chorused, "What did you do!?" as Harry asked the opposite, "What did he do?"

"I'm so happy that I have friends who care. I nearly exploded my couldron twice."

"If you ever need help with that, we can give you something," said fred. "That can garentee cauldron explosions every time." George finished.

"Thanks guys. So you said something about good news Harry?"

"Yes." He said simply before going back to his meal.

Vanessa raised an eyebrow, and Harry copied. "Oh, come on and tell me!" She exclaimed.

"Okay, okay!" He said with a smile. "This is the twenty-seventh."

Vanessa looked ready to kill her brother. "And... what's the news?"

"That is the news." He said, before pulling out a small box. "I can't believe you forgot your own birthday." She smiled as her brother tsked.

"It's my job to remember yours. Not the other way around." She said as her friends put parcles on the table and erged her to open them. She received a magical history book from Hermione, exploding snaps from Fred and George, a "Quidditch around the world" book and poster from Ron, a necklace from Ginny, and a sketchbook from Harry. "Thanks guys!" She exclaimed as she hugged them all.

Fred looked at the clock. "What time's your torture appointment with the dungeon bat?"

Vanessa smirked. "He said 'Seven Thirty Sharp'."

"Well then, you've better get going; it's seven fifteen right now."

Vanessa paled. In her head, she started mapping each route she knew to the dungeons. _I'm going to have to pass the Slytherin portrait, it's the only way to get there on time. _She got up, said good luck to Harry for his detention, and rushed to the dungeons. She ran as quietly as she could beside the Slytherin portrait, but not quiet enough.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." The cold voice of what was surely a Slytherin, said behind her.

She turned around. "Look, I've got a detention with Snape, if you detain me, you'll have one too." She said very quickly.

"We're not going to keep you that long." The boy, who looked at least in his fourth year, said as he gave a sarcastic look to his cronies.

Vanessa sighed. "Well then, _en dernier recours." _She said the French phrase she had learnt from a book she'd read, then took off running to Snape's classroom.

"Hey! Get back here!"

"Not a chance." She muttered. She was less than five feet from the double doors, when she was hit by a binding hex.

* * *

><p>Severus Snape was waiting impatiently for the student he would be supervising to come through the door. He was sitting at his desk hoping this would end quickly, but knowing that it never did. The student would complain about having to do anything muggle style, "What's a wand for if you can't use it?" Then they would deliberately take four or five hours to do the job. Severus ran a hand over his face, wondering if he should just make her scrub one cauldron, to cut the detention short for the both of them. Then he heard a scream.<p>

He rushed out of his office to find three of his fourth year Slytherins standing over the student who was supposed to be his detention victim. The fourth years were red-faced as the girl shouted what Severus believed to be insults in French.

"What, may I ask," Severus began, startling all four students. "Is going on here?" The Slytherins paled.

"Uh, Sir-" "We were just-" A cacophony of excuses filled the hall they were standing in, and Severus rolled his eyes.

"Go to your common rooms and wait there until I come! I want a word with you three." His voice ended low and dangerous. The three scrambled backwards, tripping on each other, and ran back to the Slytherin portrait. When they were gone, he looked at the student still sitting on the floor, and raised an eyebrow.

"Binding hex." She explained. "But apparently they're no good at it, or I wouldn't be able to speak.

Severus smirked before lifting the hex. "I would appreciate it if you never used profanity so close to my presence again. By the way, you are seven seconds late."

"That wasn't profanity." She said defensively, as they started into the classroom.

"Then pray tell, what was it?"

"I called them idiots and nitwits. Vulgar is not my style... And thanks Professor."

"For pointing out your tardiness? Any time." The student smirked, but to Severus' great relief, said no more.

As soon as Severus sat at his desk, she spoke again. "Um, Professor, What do you want me to do?" Severus looked at her, then shifted his gaze to the five dirty cauldrons that sat waiting for cleaning. Instead of the desired effect, the bloody student looked almost elated. "That's it?" She asked with a smile. "Scrub a few cauldrons?"

"Muggle style." He replied, acting as if he never took his eyes off his grading.

The student raised her eyebrows. "I had guessed."

Severus looked up, puzzled. "To most students, anything muggle style would be the ultimate punishment." He considered her. "Perhaps you would find a better detention in cataloging my stores." He pointed a quill in the direction of the store room. The student sighed and headed over. The only student he had ever encountered, who wasn't afraid to work. _She must be acclimatized to it then. _He thought, as he gave a frown in her direction. _I wonder just how acclimatized..._

* * *

><p>"Draco..." Vanessa's voice trailed off as she looked at her friend.<p>

"Yeah Saddie?" Draco asked rather too nonchalant. He almost grimaced. _When, exactly did I become a terrible actor? _He thought. Luckily, Vanessa merely frowned at his expression. What puzzled Draco was when she started talking as fast as if the world were ending in three seconds. Though the words themselves were puzzling enough when spoken as fast as that.  
>He only caught phrases of the full message. It sounded something like, "Rohn thoutha uer thone who opnd the chmbr, but Harry doesn't. Then Hermione camupwi thisplan to makesur it wasn't you."<p>

Draco just stared at her. "Saddie... English. Queen's if you can muster it."

Vanessa blushed. "Sorry." She muttered. She took a deep breath. "Ron thinks it's you who opened the chamber." She paused, waiting for his reaction before she continued.

"That part isn't surprising." He said with a smirk.

"Well, what you would consider surprising is that Harry doesn't think so."

Draco tried to act shocked. He really did. Too anyone else he would have gotten away with it.

Vanessa leveled him with a stare. "What did you hear, and where were you?"

Draco sighed. "Usually I'm great at acting. That could've fooled my mother."

Vanessa smirked. "I'm not your mother then, am I?"

"I was behind the beach tree, and to be fair, I did find it surprising that potter didn't think it was me."

"Then you didn't hear the plan?" Draco shook his head. "Good." She said, causing Draco to frown. "If you knew the plan you would know what to look for when the test you, and to be fair, you are not that good of an actor."

Draco snorted. "Says you."

Vanessa laughed, and they started down the hall.


	9. Chapter 9: Journals and Yorkshire Tea

After weeks of brewing. Hermoine had finally finished the potion. Ron and Harry had gotten "DNA Samples" that could make anyone gag. Vanessa was having none of it.

"You lot can go get into trouble, and tell me all about it. I might even be feeling generous, and can show you the way to the Slytherin Dorms... But I have to work on homework tonight." The last bit was a lie. And Harry could tell. To Vanessa's relief he didn't say anything.

"How do you know where the slyth..." Ron started, then thought better than to ask.

_I'm going to have to tell Harry..._

"C'mon Hermione, I'm Starting to smell like Goyl!" Ron shouted to the bathroom stall.

"Ah... You all go on without me..." Her voice was pitchy.

"Are you alright Mione?" Harry asked, concerned.

"Yeah, ah.. Have a stomach ache.. See you when you get back."

"Alright," Vanessa submitted "Without Hermione you'll _need _someone to show you the way." Vanessa said, and the three headed for the Dungeons.

* * *

><p>"Snape is much harder on the Slytherins when no one else is around." Harry said. He and Vanessa were in the Owlery. "I don't think he'd take points from them, but he tells 'em off pretty sharp."<p>

"Mmm..?" Vanessa replied, stroking the feathers of a bird distractedly.

"Nessie." He didn't have to ask what was wrong.

Vanessa took a breath. She took the journal out of her bag. "The sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin." She started rambling. "I asked it not to, because I know you hate slytherins, andmm-" Harry had put his hand over her mouth.

"The hat had wanted to place me there too."

"But- wait, what?" She looked bewildered.

Harry laughed. "I think it's because we can be sly and cunning." He said with a myschievous grin.

_Now the hard part... _"Maybe with you Harry, but... I think it's something more with me." She took the journal out of her bag and breathed in deep. "I found this in the back of the library. It was our mother's."

Harry looked astonished as he took the journal. "How long have you had this, Ness?"

"A few weeks."

"And you didn't-"

"Read the last entry." She said. "I know I should have told you about having mum's journal, and I was going to. But then I read that and ..." She finished with a sob.

Now Harry looked more concerned than anything else. He read the entry. And read it again. Then blinked... "Who's...Sev?" He asked, already guessing the answer.

Vanessa looked like she wanted to cry as she asked, "Does this mean I'm not your sister anymore?"

Harry sighed and pulled her into a hug. "You'll always be my sister ness." He pulled away and shuddered. "Does this mean I'm half-related to Snape?" He shuddered and vanessa laughed.

"So," She asked wiping away her tears, "What did you find out about Malfoy?"

Harry grimenced. "He's an arragant git, but he didn't do this." He put his hand back over her mouth. "And before you say 'I told you so' remember that _I_ didn't think it was him in the first place."

He let his hand down and Vanessa smiled.

Harry looked thoughtful. "I wonder-" He sighed. "I wonder if Snape knows."

Vanessa's smile fell. "I'd wager he doesn't."

"Do you think we should... I don't know... Say something?"

"I don't think he'd be all that... receptive.. of all this."

Harry looked out the window for a long while. "He knew mum." He said softly. "I wonder what he could tell us about her." They both fell silent.

"I wonder if living with him would be better than the Dursley's?"

Harry made a funny face. "Now that's a good question." They both smiled. Whatever happened, the two of them would always be family.

* * *

><p>"Severus, my dear boy!" Albus said cheerfully. As much as Severus didn't like being called 'dear boy', it seemed different coming from the older wizard. He would never admit that of course. "Tea?" And, as always, Albus didn't have to ask what kind. Two cups of Yorkshire tea were already laid out.<p>

"Albus." He replied simply as he took the seat the Headmaster was gesturing to. "You wished to see me?"

"Yes! Nothing formal, I just wished to hear about your lessons and how your students were doing."

Severus looked at him blankly. _Probably how a _certain_ student is doing. _He sipped his tea.

"How is our young Miss Potter?" _Knew it. _

"Not as much trouble as her bother so far." He admitted reluctantly. "And she seems to _want_ to succeed in potions. The cheek is the same, but academically, they are polar opposites."

The older man's eye twinkled. _Damn Him. _

"High Praise from you Severus." He said with a quiet smile. "But I do think you are wrong about Harry's academic achievments." Severus snorted. Albus ignored it. "His other professors tell me that he is, if not their best student, certainly a most dedicated one."

At this, Severus scoffed. "Not in potions." He said in a clipped tone.

Albus sighed. "Well, I'm glad you find Vanessa to be a good student, despite what you may think of her brother."

"I wouldn't Judge her just because of her brother!" He said indignantly. Now was Albus's turn to snort. Severus glared. "Thank you for the tea, Headmaster, but I have other things to attend to." He said, rising from the chair.

"Come by, any time Severus."

* * *

><p>As the door quietly clicked closed, he turned to his Pheonix. "How am I going to tell him Faulks?" The older Headmaster asked wearily. "He does have a right to know." He waved his wand and cleared away the tea, satisfied to see Severus' cup empty, and decided to retire for the night. <em>I wonder if she had figured it out. She is as clever as her father after all.<em>

* * *

><p><strong><em>I know it is VERY short and VERY late, but I thought I should at least upload something. By the way I'm aware that the birthdates don't make sense, and I keep changing them without meaning to... I'll try to fix this and watch for it in the future. I know it's kind of confusing. By the way, I realise I haven't put in a disclaimer, so, Disclaimer: ... I think you know I don't own this...<em>**


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